"It’s Game of Thrones, the Apprentice, and Survivor all mixed into one"

The hard-charging New Jersey governor is playing the long game, betting that Trump’s senior aides and cabinet nominees, nearly all of whom lack governing experience, will face unexpected challenges when they settle into the West Wing. Christie turned down several offers to join the Trump administration when he was denied the attorney general post, but he has told associates he expects Trump to turn people like him — seasoned lawmakers and political hands — if and when the neophytes begin to flounder.

Christie is one among dozens of high-level Trump campaign aides and former Republican administration officials who find themselves excluded from the Trump administration — for now — but who expect their fortunes to change.

These Republicans expect the stringent loyalty tests imposed by the transition team to relax over time, and many are already talking about a “second wave” of aides and staffers that is likely to replace the volatile or inexperienced loyalists Trump has tapped.

“There’s waves in everything,” said one senior transition aide. “There’s waves in campaigns. There was [Corey] Lewandowski. Then, there was Paul Manafort. Then, there was [David] Bossie, [Stephen] Bannon, and Kellyanne [Conway]. That’s how Trump operates. It’s Game of Thrones, the Apprentice, and Survivor all mixed into one.”